System, method, apparatus and medium for simultaneously generating vehicle history reports and preapproved financing options

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the system and method described herein provides a computer system configured to provide an interface for operation by a user at a remote computing device, receive a request from the user for a vehicle history report of a vehicle. The computer system is further configured to prompt the user for interest in a prequalification for a financing offer. The computer system is further configured to receive the indication of the user&#39;s interest in the prequalification. The system also includes a data storage module, accessible by the computer system, configured to retrieve data corresponding to the vehicle, store the retrieved data, retrieve data corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer, and store the retrieved determination. The computer system is further configured to convey the vehicle history report to the user and convey the prequalification determination to the user.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND

The decision of buying or leasing a specific vehicle involves not only fulfilling the consumer's desired list of attributes for the vehicle, but also the consumer's ability to finance the purchase or lease of the specific vehicle with such attributes. Furthermore, the list of attributes and the financing options are interdependent, since the consumer's list of desired attributes may be affected by the ability to pay for such attributes, and the financing options available to the consumer are dependent on the vehicle's attributes which would affect the vehicle's price. The computer systems (and other computing devices) available to consumers today provide the ability to browse vehicles' attributes. Other systems available provide the ability to determine financing options available to consumers, independent of knowledge or the specific vehicles the consumer may be interested in. Additionally, vehicle seller systems may track the browsing history of consumers to determine which vehicles the consumer is interested in. There is currently no interconnection between all of the vehicle seller systems, financing systems, and consumer systems. Therefore, vehicle sellers are not made aware of the qualifications of such interested consumers and thus sellers may waste resources in attempts to sell a vehicle which the consumer cannot afford. The process of locating and purchasing a vehicle, or for selling the vehicle, using such independent systems is also much more time consuming and less efficient for the consumer as well as the car dealers and the lenders involved. Accordingly, systems and processes for integrating vehicle history report requests with requests for consumer information, processing the requested information against financing determination factors to determine a consumer's prequalified financing options, correlating these determinations with the consumer's browsing activities, and communicating such determinations to the consumer and the vehicle seller are desired.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed by the claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description,” one will understand how the features of the various aspects of this invention provide advantages that include improved communications between access points and stations in a wireless network.

One aspect of this disclosure provides a vehicle history and prequalification system. The system comprises a computer system, having a processor and a memory, and a data storage module accessible by the computer system. The computer system is configured to provide an interface for operation by a user at a remote computing device and receive a request, via the interface, from the user regarding a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (\TIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The computer system is also configured to prompt the user, via the interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle. The computer system is further configured to receive the indication of user interest in the prequalification, via the interface, the indication including personal information of the user. The data storage module is configured to retrieve data corresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database. The data storage module is further configured to store the retrieved data according to the VIN, license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle. The data storage module is also configured to retrieve data corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer. The data storage module is also further configured to store the retrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user. The computer system is then further configured to convey, via the interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle and convey, via the interface, the prequalification determination to the user.

Another aspect disclosed is a method, the method comprising providing an interface for operation by a user at a remote computing device and receiving a request, via the interface, from the user regarding a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The method also comprises prompting the user, via the interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle and receiving the indication of user interest in the prequalification, via the interface, the indication including personal information of the user. The method further comprises retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database and storing the retrieved data according to the YIN, license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle. The method also further comprises retrieving data corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer and storing the retrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user. The method further also comprises conveying, via the interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle and conveying, via the interface, the prequalification determination to the user.

Another aspect disclosed is an apparatus for vehicle history and prequalification determination. The apparatus comprises means for providing communication with a user at a remote computing device and means for receiving a request from the user regarding a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The apparatus further comprises means for prompting the user for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle and means for receiving the indication of user interest in the prequalification the indication including personal information of the user. The apparatus also comprises means for retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database and means for storing the retrieved data according to the VIN, license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle. The apparatus also further comprises means for retrieving data corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer and means for storing the retrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user. The apparatus further also comprises means for conveying the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle and means for conveying the prequalification determination to the user.

Another aspect disclosed is a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to perform a method. The method comprises providing an interface for operation by a user at a remote computing device and receiving a request, via the interface, from the user regarding a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The method also comprises prompting the user, via the interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle and receiving the indication of user interest in the prequalification, via the interface, the indication including personal information of the user. The method further comprises retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database and storing the retrieved data according to the VIN, license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle. The method also further comprises retrieving data corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer and storing the retrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user. The method further also comprises conveying, via the interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle and conveying, via the interface, the prequalification determination to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned aspects, as well as other features, aspects, and advantages of the present technology will now be described in connection with various aspects, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrated aspects, however, are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Throughout the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates one possible organization of a communication system for simultaneously generating vehicle history reports and preapproved financing options.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram corresponding to an aspect of hardware and/or software components of an example embodiment of the vehicle history and prequalification server of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a process flowchart illustrating an example method of generating a vehicle history report and a prequalification determination based on the consumer request.

FIG. 4 is an example consumer interface for prompting the consumer for information needed to perform the prequalification determination, as used in an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an example consumer interface for prompting the consumer for information needed to perform the prequalification determination, as used in an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for providing a consumer with a vehicle's history report and also providing the pre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations, as used in an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a process for providing a consumer with a vehicle's history report and also providing the pre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The teachings disclosed may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any other aspect of the invention. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the invention is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations and permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure. Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are mentioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to particular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of the disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different consumer goods and services industries. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Popular network technologies may include various types of wireless or wired networks. The wireless or wired network may be used to interconnect nearby devices together, employing widely used networking protocols. The various aspects described herein may apply to any communication standard, such as a wireless 802.11 protocol.

FIG. 1 illustrates one possible organization of a communication system 100 comprising a network 102, a consumer terminal 104, a vehicle history and prequalification server (VHPS) 106, a dealer server 108, a plurality of lender servers 110A-110C, and a vehicle history data store 116. Additionally, communication links 118 a-118 g are shown enabling communication among the components of communication system 100 via the network 102. In some embodiments, one or more of the servers and terminals described above may be combined into a single server and/or terminal combination device. The communication system 100 may be used to implement systems and methods described herein.

In some embodiments, a consumer may use the consumer terminal 104 to shop for a vehicle that the consumer intends to purchase. For example, the consumer terminal 104 may comprise a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, a mobile phone, a PDA, or any other computing device with which the consumer may browse the Internet. In some embodiments, the consumer may be shopping for another good besides a vehicle, for example furniture, a home, a marine vehicle, or similar goods which may involve financing. For simplicity, a consumer shopping activity described herein will be directed to a vehicle purchase or lease as an example, though other similar purchase activities as those described above are contemplated. When shopping for a vehicle, the consumer may be browsing a vehicle dealer's website. In some embodiments, the dealer website may be hosted by the dealer server 108. While shopping, the consumer may filter various listings on the dealer website to view only vehicles that meet various criteria as established by the consumer. While browsing the dealer's website, the consumer may select one or more vehicles that interest the consumer and may request a vehicle history report (VHR), or other additional information associated with the selected one or more vehicles. The request for the vehicle history report may initiate a communication from the dealer server 108 that is hosting the dealer website to the VHPS 106, though the VHR request may be handled in various other manners.

The VHPS 106 may comprise a server that provides one or more of VHRs and financing prequalification determinations. For example, the VHPS 106 may be able to provide the VHR for a vehicle given its vehicle identification number (VIN) or other unique identifying information, such as a license plate, etc. Additionally, or alternatively, the VHPS 106 may provide financing prequalification determinations for potential financing offers based on information from or about the consumer, information regarding the vehicle in which the consumer is interested, and qualification criteria as received from financial institutions and underwriters providing the financial offers. In some embodiments, the VHRs and the prequalification determinations may be provided by two distinct servers (not shown in this figure).

In providing the VHRs, the VHPS 106 may retrieve the VHRs from the vehicle history data store 116. The vehicle history data store 116 may comprise a database or other storage device comprising VHRs organized in a searchable manner. The vehicle history data store 116 may include one or more internal and/or external data sources. The data sources may include internal and external data sources which store, for example, vehicle history attributes data and/or other consumer data. In some embodiments, the vehicle history data store 116 may comprise a plurality of databases or sources, including third party databases or sources, such as an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database, that include information regarding a vehicle history. In some embodiments, one or more of the databases or data sources may be implemented using a relational database, such as Sybase®, Oracle®, CodeBase® and Microsoft® SQL Server® as well as other types of databases such as, for example, a flat file database, an entity-relationship database, and object-oriented database, and/or a record-based database.

In some embodiments, the vehicle history data store 116 may comprise searchable data that will eventually be rendered to generate the VHRs. The VHRS can be used to aggregate information about a specific vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle history reports may include information regarding accident history, mileage history, ownership history, among others, for a designated vehicle (identified by the VIN or other unique identifying information).

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the VHPS 106 (or similar device) may request and extract appropriate data for the selected vehicle based on the provided YIN or other unique identifying information. In some embodiments, the extracted data or the vehicle history report may be provided to the requesting consumer in the form of the vehicle history report. For example, when the VHPS 106 receives a complete vehicle history report from another source, that vehicle history report may be communicated to the consumer, as requested. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 may verify one or pieces of information on the received complete vehicle history report to confirm the vehicle history report is accurate. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 may generate the vehicle history report from extracted data received from one or more vehicle history data stores 116.

Additionally, or alternatively, the extracted data or the vehicle history report, or portions thereof, may be used in the prequalification determination. For example, when the VHPS 106 performs the prequalification determination, the VHPS 106 may analyze information regarding the specific vehicle, consumer information, and the qualification information provided by financial parties to determine if the consumer can be prequalified for a financing offer in relation to the specific vehicle. In some embodiments, the information regarding the specific vehicle may include price, make, model, year, body style, mileage, etc. In some embodiments, the consumer information may include name, birthdate, income, credit history, etc. The VHPS 106 may be configured to request and receive data from various databases based on the information needed to make the prequalification determination. For example, when the consumer requests the vehicle history report as described above, the consumer may be presented with one or more financing offers. If the consumer selects a financing offer of interest, the consumer may be prompted to enter information used in the financing prequalification (e.g., income, debt, credit score, biographical information, etc.). In some embodiments, the consumer may not be prompted to select a financing offer of interest, but rather the VHPS 106 may determine the consumer's prequalification status for all available financing offers in view of the provided vehicle and consumer information.

In determining prequalification for potential financing offers, the VHPS 106 may retrieve the qualification criteria directly from financing institutions (e.g., lenders' servers 110A-110C). In some embodiments, more than one financing institution may provide qualification criteria for financing offers, and the VHPS 106 may determine whether the consumer is prequalified. The VHPS 106 may determine the consumer's prequalification status based on the information provided by the consumer and the criteria provided by the financing institutions. For example, in some embodiments, a financing offer may comprise criteria requiring that the consumer have a credit score above 650 and an annual income of greater than $40,000. Accordingly, if the consumer can meet these criteria (e.g., has an income greater than $40,000 and a credit score of at least 650), then the VHPS 106 may determine that the consumer is qualified for that financing offer. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 may be configured to provide the consumer information and/or the specific vehicle information to one or more of the lenders' servers 110A-110C.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the three lenders' servers (Lender A 110A, Lender B 110B, and Lender C 110C) may be part of the communication system 100 and may be configured to provide financing offers to consumer terminals 104 or prequalification criteria to the VHPS 106. When the lenders' servers 110A-110C are configured to perform the prequalification determinations, the lenders' servers 110A-110C may be configured to receive the consumer information and/or specific vehicle information from the VHPS 106 and may use the received information in the prequalification determinations. In some embodiments, prequalification results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or the VHPS 106 may be provided to the consumer terminal 104 via the dealer website and the dealer server 108. In some embodiments, the prequalification results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or the VHPS 106 may be communicated to the dealer. In some embodiments, the prequalification results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or the VHPS 106 may be communicated to the consumer terminal 104 via e-mail or a private message. In some embodiments, the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or the VHPS 106 may be configured to cause new window or popup to be displayed on the consumer terminal 104 so as to communicate directly with the consumer while bypassing the dealer website. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 may receive the prequalification determination from the one or more lenders' servers 110A-110C and may communicate that information to one or more of the consumer (via the consumer terminal 104) or the dealer.

In some embodiments, the prequalification determination results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or the VHPS 106 may be communicated to the dealer. In some embodiments, when the prequalification determination results are communicated to the dealer, they may be communicated along with a request to automatically filter the dealer listings to display only cars that the consumer is qualified to purchase using financing. For example, when the lenders' servers 110A-110C or the VHPS 106 determine that the consumer is not prequalified to purchase the specific vehicle selected by the consumer, they may idea what vehicle specifics would be acceptable (e.g., lower price, different make/model, fewer features, etc.). Accordingly, the “acceptable” vehicle specifics may be communicated to the dealer with a request to filter the dealer listings to show the consumer vehicles they are prequalified to purchase.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram corresponding to hardware and/or software components of an example embodiment of the VHPS of FIG. 1. The hardware and/or software components as discussed below with reference to the block diagram of the VHPS 106 may be included in any of the devices of the communication system 100 (e.g., the consumer terminal 104, the dealer server 108, and the lenders' servers 110A-110C). These components may be used to implement systems and methods described herein.

In some embodiments, certain modules described below, such as a user interface module 210, a vehicle history report (VHR) module 214, or a financing module 216 included with the VHPS 106 may be included with or performed by different and/or multiple devices of the communication system 100. For example, certain user interface functionality described herein may be performed by the user interface module 210 of the VHPS 106 and/or by the user interface module 210 of the consumer terminal 104.

In an embodiment, various software modules are included in the vehicle history reporting and financing system 100, which may be stored on a component of the system 100 itself, or on computer readable storage media separate from the system 100 and in communication with the system 100 via the network 102 or other appropriate means.

The VHPS 106 may include, for example, a computer that is IBM, Macintosh, or Linux/Unix compatible or a server or workstation. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 comprises a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a kiosk, or a media player. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 includes one or more central processing units (“CPUs”) 202, I/O interfaces and devices 204, memory 206, mass storage device 208, the user interface module 210, multimedia device 212, the VHR module 214, the financing module 216, and bus 218.

The CPU 202 may control operation of the VHPS 106. The CPU 202 may also be referred to as a processor. The CPU 202 may comprise or be a component of a processing system implemented with one or more processors. The one or more processors may be implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information.

The I/O interface 204 may comprise a keypad, a microphone, a touchpad, a speaker, a touchscreen, and/or a display, or any other commonly available input/output (I/O) devices and interfaces. The I/O interface 204 may include any element or component that conveys information to a consumer of the VHPS 106 and/or receives input from the consumer. In one embodiment, the I/O interface 204 includes one or more display devices, such as a monitor, that allows the visual presentation of data to the consumer. More particularly, the display device may provide for the presentation of GUIs, application software data, and multimedia presentations, for example.

In some embodiments, the I/O interface 204 may provide a communication interface to various external devices. For example, the VHPS 106 may be electronically coupled to the network 102 (FIG. 1), which comprises one or more of a LAN, WAN, and/or the Internet. Accordingly, the I/O interface 204 may include an interface allowing for communication with the network 102, for example, via a wired communication port, a wireless communication port, or combination thereof. The network 102 may allow various terminals and computing devices and/or other electronic devices to communicate with each other via wired or wireless communication links.

The memory 206, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), may provide instructions and data to the CPU 202. For example, inputs received by one or more components of the device 204 may be stored in the memory 206. A portion of the memory 206 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The CPU 202 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within the memory 206. The instructions in the memory 206 may be executable to implement the methods described herein.

The VHPS 106 may also include the mass storage device 208 for storing software or information (for example, the vehicle history reports or associated data). Software shall be construed broadly to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Instructions may include code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable format of code). The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processing system to perform the various functions described herein. Accordingly, the VHPS 106 may include, e.g., hardware, firmware, and software, or any combination therein. The mass storage device 208 may comprise a hard drive, diskette, solid state drive, or optical media storage device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 includes the VHR module 214. In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may be stored in the mass storage device 208 as executable software code that is executed by the CPU 202. This, and other modules in the VHPS 106, may include components, such as hardware and/or software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 may be configured to execute the VHR module 214 to perform the various methods and/or processes as described herein.

In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may be configured to identify a request for a vehicle history report as received from the consumer using the consumer terminal 104 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the request for the vehicle history report may include a VIN (or other unique identifier for a vehicle in which the consumer is interested) and a consumer identifier that identifies the consumer requesting the vehicle history report.

In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may use the VIN to generate a request to a vehicle history data store (e.g., the external vehicle history data store 116 of FIG. 1). The request may be that all data and/or records associated with the VIN be returned to the VHR module 214. In some embodiments, when the data received from the vehicle history data store 116 is not compiled into a report that is easily understood by the consumer, the VHR module 214 may generate the vehicle history report for the ease of use by the consumer. The VHR module 214 may then communicate the vehicle history report to the consumer that requested the vehicle history report using the consumer identifier. Accordingly, the VHR module 214 may ensure that the consumer receives the requested vehicle history report regardless of the format of the data which the VHR module 214 receives from the vehicle history data store 116. For example, the VHR module 214 performs the verification of information on the received complete vehicle history report described above. Alternatively, or in addition, the VHR module 214 may generate the vehicle history report in a consumer friendly format from extracted data received from one or more vehicle history data stores 116. In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may generate the vehicle history report only including information specifically requested by the consumer (e.g., number of owners, mileage issues, accidents, recalls, etc.). In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may also be configured to provide vehicle information to one or more of the other components of the VHPS 106 and/or other components the system 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 includes the financing determination module 216. In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may be stored in the mass storage device 208 as executable software code that is executed by the CPU 202. This, and other modules in the VHPS 106, may include components, such as hardware and/or software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 is configured to execute the financing determination module 216 to perform the various methods and/or processes as described herein.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may be configured to identify a request, as received from the consumer using the consumer terminal 104 of FIG. 1, for a prequalification determination of the consumer with regard to one or more financing offers. The prequalification determination request may request affirmation or denial of whether or not the consumer is prequalified for one or more selected financing offers. For example, when purchasing a vehicle, the consumer may need or desire to apply for financing to pay for the vehicle. To determine if the consumer qualifies for a financing offer as presented by one or more lenders, the consumer may request a prequalification determination for each of the one or more financing offers. The prequalification determination for a financing offer may be a less detailed determination than an application process for the same financing offer. In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may utilize both consumer information (e.g., financial information, etc.) as well as vehicle information (e.g., make, model, price, etc.). In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may utilize only consumer information.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the request for the prequalification determination may include vehicle information as well as information about the consumer (e.g., personal information, financial information, etc.) and the consumer identifier that identifies the consumer requesting the prequalification determination. In some embodiments, the consumer information may be saved as part of a consumer profile, for example, as associated with a consumer account with the dealer or the lenders. Accordingly, when the consumer information is part of the consumer profile, the prequalification determination request may not include receiving the personal information from the consumer, but rather from the dealer server 108 or the consumer terminal 104 or the lender server 110A-110C. In some embodiments, the consumer information may be linked with a third party account. For example, when prompted for consumer information, the consumer may provide login credentials for a third party account (e.g., a bank account, a store account, etc.), and the third party account may be used a source for the desired consumer information. For example, when prompted for consumer financial information, the consumer may provide their bank account credentials, and the VHPS 106 (via one or more of the I/O interfaces and devices 204, the CPU 202, the user interface module 210, and the financing determination module 216) may request and receive the consumer financial information from the bank account.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may receive the prequalification determination request from the consumer and communicate the request to one or more of the lenders' servers 110A-110C for the lenders themselves to determine via a financing determination process. The financing determination process may comprise a process of applying the consumer information and/or the vehicle information to the financing criteria established by the lenders. Accordingly, the financing determination module 216 may receive a communication from the lenders' server 110A-110C regarding the determination (e.g., qualified or not qualified) and may communicate that determination to the dealer and/or the consumer via the I/O interfaces and devices 204 and/or the user interface module 210 and the user identifier.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may receive the prequalification criteria from the lenders' servers 110A-110C. The financing determination module 216 may be configured to apply the information received in the prequalification determination request to the prequalification criteria received from the lenders' servers 110A-110C to generate the requested prequalification determination. Accordingly, the financing determination module 216 may perform the financing determination process. As described above, when the lenders perform the financing determination process to determine the result of the prequalification determination request, the result may be communicated back to the financing determination module 216 (e.g., via the I/O interfaces and devices 204), which may communicate the result to the consumer using the consumer identifier. This result may also be communicated to the dealer in conjunction with the consumer identifier to allow the dealer to better customize their sales efforts based on the consumer prequalification results. When the financing determination module 216 determines the result of the prequalification determination request itself, the financing determination module 216 may communicate the result to the consumer using the consumer identifier. Similarly, the result may be communicated to the dealer to allow for customized sales efforts based on that consumer's qualifications.

In some embodiments, the result of the prequalification determination request may be a simple “Yes” or “Prequalified” or “Approved” or “No” or “Denied”, among others. In some embodiments, if the result of the prequalification determination request is negative, the financing determination module 216 may use the provided consumer information and specific vehicle information (when applicable) to generate attributes or factors that may lead to a prequalification determination for the consumer. For example, if the specific vehicle selected by the consumer is too expensive in view of the financial information provided by the consumer, then the financing determination module 216 may generate an attribute or factor indicating the price of the specific vehicle was too high. Alternatively, or additionally, if the specific vehicle selected involves too much risk in view of the criteria, the financing determination module 216 may generate vehicle features (e.g., the vehicle has too many miles or is of an undesirable make/model or includes a title issues) associated with these risks.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may then generate a communication to the dealer (e.g., via the I/O interfaces and devices 204) requesting the dealer provide a listing of vehicles that meet the generated list of attributes or factors. This requested listing may comprise a list of vehicles available at the dealer for which the consumer would be prequalified to purchase. The financing determination module 216 may then cause the listing of vehicles that meet the generated list of attributes or factors to be displayed or provided to the consumer, for example via the user interface module 210 or via the I/O interfaces and devices 204. In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may provide this listing of vehicles to the dealer in conjunction with the consumer identifier so the dealer may tailor its services and offerings to the consumer. Accordingly, even if the consumer is not approved for the requested financing offer (or any automatically searched financing offer), the financing determination module 216 may provide the consumer with options that would be available. Accordingly, the financing determination module 216 may ensure that the consumer receives the requested prequalification determination regardless of where the determination is made and may be provided with purchase options regardless of the prequalification determination.

The VHPS 106 also includes the user interface module 210. In some embodiments, the user interface module 210 may also be stored in the mass storage device 208 as executable software code that is executed by the CPU 202. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 may be configured to execute the user interface module 210 to perform the various methods and/or processes as described herein.

The user interface module 210 may be configured to generate, provide, and/or operate user interfaces of various types. In some embodiments, the user interface module 210 constructs pages or displays to be displayed in a web browser or computer/mobile application. In some embodiments, the user interface module 210 may provide an application or similar module for download and operation on the consumer terminal 104, through which the consumer and the VHPS 106 may interact. The pages may, in some embodiments, be specific to a type of device, such as a mobile device or a desktop web browser, to maximize usability for the particular device.

For example, the user interface module 210 may be configured to automatically detect a type of computing device that is requesting vehicle history information or prequalification determinations, such as a mobile phone, a desktop computer, etc. This detection may be made via an identifier that is communicated with the request. In some embodiments, the detection may be based on a consumer selection when the consumer interacts with the VHPS 106 for the first time. According to the detection, the user interface module 210 may determine to send information formatted optimized for the proper computing device being used by the consumer.

In some embodiments, the user interface module 210 may also interact with a client-side application, such as a mobile phone application (an “app”), a standalone desktop application, or user communication accounts (e.g., e-mail, SMS messaging, etc.) and provide data as necessary to display vehicle history and prequalification determinations. When interacting with the client-side application that is provided by the VHPS 106 (e.g., a VHPS 106 specific application or similar application), the user interface module 210 may be configured to format data for communication according to specifications and standards associated with that application. For example, the user interface module 210 may be configured to format all communication messages according to specific information elements that may be understood by the application on the computing device. Accordingly, information may be securely and efficiently communicated back and forth when both sides know the appropriate specifications and standards.

In some embodiments, one or more windows or interactions between the VHPS 106 and the consumer may involve a lightbox or overlay layer or a popup or window. For example, a lightbox or overlay may comprise a format that displays images and/or videos and text or prompts by filling the screen, and dimming out the rest of the web page or display. The lightbox or overlay may, alternatively, or additionally, places a new set of images, information, or prompts over existing data while maintaining the existing data though it is covered (and thus not viewable) while the new set of information is visible. Use of the lightbox or overlay may allow for the presentation of new information to the consumer without causing the consumer to lose the existing information. Additionally, or alternatively, the lightbox or overlay allows the consumer to view at least a portion of the existing information simultaneously with the information in the lightbox or overlay. Additionally, or alternatively, the popup or window may allow for the resizable display of information or requests to the user while allowing for simultaneous viewing and access to new and existing information. The VHPS 106 may also include one or more multimedia devices 140, such as speakers, video cards, graphics accelerators, and microphones, for example.

The various components of the VHPS 106 may be coupled together by a bus system 218. The bus system 218 may include a data bus, for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. In different embodiments, the bus could be implemented in Peripheral Component Interconnect (“PCI”), Microchannel, Small Computer System Interface (“SCSI”), Industrial Standard Architecture (“ISA”) and Extended ISA (“EISA”) architectures, for example. In addition, the functionality provided for in the components and modules of VHPS 106 may be combined into fewer components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules than that shown in FIG. 2.

The VHPS 106 may be controlled by operating system software, such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Unix, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, Android, Blackberry OS, or other similar operating systems. In Macintosh systems, the operating system may be any available operating system, such as MAC OS X. In other embodiments, the VHPS 106 may be controlled by a proprietary operating system. Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processes for execution, perform memory management, provide file system, networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.

FIG. 3 is a process flowchart illustrating an example method of generating a vehicle history report and a prequalification determination based on the consumer request. Process 300 is an exemplary description of a method that may involve the consumer and the VHPS 106. Methods similar to process 300 may be run simultaneously, in an overlapping manner, or sequentially for multiple consumers at multiple locations that are each accessing the VHPS 106 via one or more dealer websites and/or servers. In some embodiments, particular steps of the process 300 may be implemented by the CPU 202, as referenced in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, one or more of the steps of the process 300 may be implemented by one or more of the components of the VHPS 106, as referenced in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Process 300 begins at block 302 and progresses to block 304. At block 304, the consumer visits a vehicle shopping portal or website, for example the vehicle website discussed above. The visit to the vehicle shopping portal may include browsing or searching for a vehicle of interest by the consumer. Once the consumer identifies a vehicle of interest, the process 300 proceeds to block 306.

At block 306, the consumer requests a vehicle history report (VHR) for the identified vehicle of interest. In some embodiments, the consumer may request multiple VHRs when there are multiple identified vehicles of interest. In some embodiments, requesting the VHR may comprise selecting or identifying a specified link or VHR request button, as will be described in further detail below. In some embodiments, the VHR request link or button may be on a vehicle listing's specific page or may be an option when viewing a group of listing as applied to multiple specific listings. Once the consumer requests the VHR, the process 300 proceeds to block 308.

At block 308, the consumer is presented with a prompt to input information regarding a prequalification determination for one or more available financing offers. In some embodiments, the prompt may be presented to the consumer based on the consumer requesting the VHR for the vehicle of interest. In some embodiments, the prompt may be presented to the consumer based on the consumer selecting a link or button regarding prequalification determinations. In some embodiments, the prompt may request the consumer provide information regarding the type of financing offer the consumer desires. In some embodiments, the prompt may appear as part of an overlay, lightbox, or popup. In some embodiments, the prompt may include individual fields for entry by the consumer for each item of information needed for the prequalification determination. In some embodiments, the prompt may include login credentials for various accounts that may already include the consumer information needed for the prequalification determination. For example, the fields may include a login credentials request for a bank account, a store website or a credit vendor. Once the prompt has been provided to the consumer, the process 300 proceeds to block 310.

At block 310, the process 300 determines if the consumer provided consumer information when prompted at block 308. If the consumer did provide the requested consumer information when prompted, the process 300 proceeds to block 314. If the consumer did not provide the requested consumer information when prompted, the process 300 proceeds to block 312.

At block 312, the process 300 may interpret the consumer's failure to provide consumer information when requested as a lack of interest in a financing prequalification determination and may place a temporary cookie on the consumer terminal to prevent future prompts requesting consumer information for the vehicle of interest. By making this interpretation and placement of the cookie, the process 300 may streamline the consumer's shopping experience by refraining from prompting the consumer for consumer information simply because the consumer requests the associated vehicle history report.

In some embodiments, the process 300 at block 312 will again prompt the consumer, this time asking the consumer if they would like to block future consumer information prompts. If the consumer indicates that they do want to block future prompts, then the process 300 may set the cookie preventing future consumer information prompts. If the consumer indicates that they do not want to block future consumer information prompts, then the process 300 may not set the cookie preventing future consumer information prompts. By this second prompt, the process 300 may avoid improperly interpreting the consumer's failure to provide consumer information as a lack of interest. In some embodiments, the cookie may expire after a predetermined amount of time. In some embodiments, the consumer may manually request to reactivate the consumer information prompts if desired. Once the process 300 determines whether or not to set the cookie at block 312, the process 300 proceeds to block 302 and restarts.

At block 314, the process 300 may acknowledge the receipt of the consumer's information when requested and may place a temporary cookie on the consumer terminal to prevent future prompts requesting consumer information for the vehicle of interest. The process 300 may assume that future prompts requesting the consumer information may not be needed for each vehicle of interest because the consumer information may remain constant regardless of the vehicle. Accordingly, the consumer information might only be received once and then stored for application in any and all financing offer prequalification determinations. In some embodiments, the consumer will be again prompted at block 314, this time the prompt requesting that the consumer confirm whether or not they would like to block future consumer information prompts. If the consumer indicates that they do want to block future consumer information prompts, then the process 300 might set the cookie preventing future consumer information prompts. If the consumer indicates that they do not want to block future consumer information prompts, then the process 300 might not set the cookie preventing future consumer information prompts. In some embodiments, the cookie might expire after a predetermined amount of time. In some embodiments, the consumer may manually trigger or adjust the cookie.

Once the process 300 determines whether or not to set the cookie at block 314, the process 300 forwards the information from the consumer to the financing determination process (described above in relation to FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the financing determination process is performed by the VHPS 106 (for example, the financing determination module 216 described in relation to FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the financing determination process may be performed by an external device or system (for example, the lenders' servers 110A-110C). Once the consumer information is provided to the entity that will perform the prequalification determination (e.g., the financing determination module 216 or the lenders' servers 110A-110C), the process 300 proceeds to block 316.

After the cookie is set in either blocks 312 or 314, consumer information prompts may be blocked based on the previously set cookie as the consumer continues to visit the vehicle shopping website. In some embodiments, the cookie may block prompts for only the previously viewed vehicles, so that repeated views of the same vehicle will not generate multiple, useless prompts. In some embodiments, the cookie may block prompts for all vehicles for the predetermined amount of time. In some embodiments, the cookie may be replaced by any other flag, indicator, value, or process that may be used to control whether or not the prompts are displayed subsequently.

At block 316, the process 300 proceeds to send the prequalification determination to the consumer and the dealer. In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may be presented to the consumer and/or the dealer as a lightbox, overlay, or popup. In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may include multiple options of financing offers available and allow or request the consumer to select one or more of the multiple options. In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may be negative for the selected vehicle and may provide alternate options for the consumer to review for which the consumer may be approved. In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may be negative with no alternatives. Once the prequalification determination is provide to the consumer and the dealer, the process 300 ends at block 318.

In some embodiments, the consumer may not be prompted for information regarding the prequalification determination until the VHR requested by the consumer is displayed to the consumer. For example, the lightbox, overlay, or popup including the prequalification questions may display over the VHR. In some embodiments, the prompt for information regarding the prequalification determination may occur as soon as the VHR is requested and while the VHR is being retrieved and/or generated.

FIG. 4 is an example consumer interface generated by the VHPS 106 for browsing or searching for a vehicle of interest by the consumer. FIG. 4 shows a listing of vehicles that may be browsed or searched by the consumer. As shown, the left side of the FIG. 4 screen shows a plurality of filters 405 which the consumer may choose to apply to their search or browsing session to limit or control what vehicles are displayed. Associated with the vehicle listings are vehicle history report triggers 410. The triggers may comprise soft buttons, radio buttons or dials, or any other selection indicator, including text links, picture links, touchscreen detection, switch, etc. Each vehicle listing may have its own vehicle report trigger 410. The vehicle report trigger 410 may send a request for a VHR for the identified vehicle, when activated by the consumer. This request may correspond to the request received by process 300 at block 304. Additionally, or alternatively, each vehicle listing may have its own Pre-Approval trigger 415. The Pre-Approval trigger 415 may send a request from the consumer indicating that the consumer is interested in obtaining a preapproval determination for a financing offer. However, as noted above, activation of the vehicle report trigger 410 may automatically activate the request for preapproval and prequalification, as discussed above in relation to process 300 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an example consumer interface for prompting the consumer for information needed to perform the prequalification determination, as used in an embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a prompt for preapproval or prequalification that appears as a lightbox or overlay 505 on top of an existing VHR 510. In some embodiments, the lightbox 505 may be on top of the vehicle listing of FIG. 4 and may appear as soon as the consumer selects the vehicle report button 410. As shown in FIG. 5, the prompt may include various fields requesting personal information of the consumer, including name, address, contact information, date of birth, and social security number. In some embodiments, more or less information may be requested as part of the prompt. As indicated, the lightbox may be displayed for multiple steps of information prompts (three as indicated in FIG. 5). However, this need not always be the case.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process 600 for providing a consumer with a vehicle's history report and also providing the pre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations. The process 600 may be executed, for example, by the user interface modules 210 and/or the vehicle history reporting module 214 and/or the financing determination module 216 of the VHPS 106, and/or the user interface module 210 and/or the financing determination module 216 of the consumer terminal 104. In various embodiments, fewer blocks or additional blocks may be included in the process 600, or various blocks may be performed in an order different from that shown in FIG. 6.

Beginning at block 605, the VHPS 106 receives a consumer request for a vehicle history report for a specific vehicle while the consumer is browsing vehicles at a dealer. For example, the request may be received from the consumer via an application executing on the consumer terminal 104 (FIG. 1), which may be a consumer device. Based on the request, the application may access one or more of a variety of different internet sites, including for example, car dealership websites, used vehicle shopping websites, vehicle history websites, and the like. The application may access one or more of these internet sites to acquire information to generate the requested vehicle history report or to acquire the already generated vehicle history report. In some embodiments, the application may access these sites to confirm acquired information. Once the necessary information is acquired form these internet sites, the process 600 proceeds to generate or compile the vehicle history report if a previously generated vehicle history report is not available.

At block 610, the VHPS 106 presents the generated or acquired vehicle's history report to the consumer. In addition, either automatically or in response to a consumer request, the VHPS 106 presents to the consumer a user interface, such as, for example a fillable form, or the like, to receive loan eligibility information from the consumer, including, for example, the consumer's name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, and the like. An example of the form is shown in FIG. 5 above. In some embodiments, the fillable form of the user interface may comprise an option for the consumer to provide login credentials for another account, for example, a bank account, credit account, or another third party credential or information verification source, etc., where the loan eligibility information may already be provided and/or stored. In some embodiments, the loan eligibility information corresponds to the consumer information described above.

Continuing at block 615, the VHPS 106 receives the information from the consumer using the user interface presented. In some embodiments, if the consumer refuses to fill out the information, a temporary cookie may be placed on the consumer terminal 104 of the consumer to prevent the presentation of the user interface until expiration of the temporary cookie. In other embodiments, other such preventive measures may be used, or the consumer may be asked for the information after a predetermined time period. The consumer may also be prompted to make a selection of specific lenders to contact. Additionally, or alternatively, at block 615, the process 600 may be configured to use the received login credentials to access the indicated account to acquire the necessary loan eligibility information.

Next at block 620, the VHPS 106 provides the information to one or more lenders to determine eligibility for the consumer. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 uses the information to access a data storage storing credit information for consumers, in parallel with and/or instead of submitting the eligibility requests to the one or more lenders. The accessed data storage may provide credit information for the consumer that may be used, in conjunction with financing criteria received from the one or more lenders, to determine eligibility for the consumer (e.g., via the financing determination module 216 of FIG. 2). Accordingly, either the VHPS 106 or the one or more lenders uses the loan eligibility information to determine if the consumer is pre-qualified for a financing offer. In some embodiments, the determination includes specific vehicle information.

At block 625, the VHPS 106 receives (or accesses) lending decisions based on the information received from the consumer. For example, the lending decisions may come from the one or more lenders described above in block 620. In some embodiments, the lending decisions may be made pursuant to a process similar to the financing determination process described above. For example, when the pre-qualification decision is made by the lenders, the VHPS 106 may receive the decision from the lenders via the network 102 of the system 100 of FIG. 1.

At block 630 a, the VHPS 106 provides the pre-qualification and/or pre-screening data to the consumer interested in the specific vehicle. The data presented to the consumer may include loan offers for which the consumer is pre-screened and pre-qualified. In some embodiments, the consumer may also be prompted to provide consent for receiving a pre-qualification report. In some embodiments, the consumer may also be presented with information that the consumer does not qualify for any loan offers, or that the vehicle in which the consumer is interested does not qualify for any loan offers. If the vehicle does not qualify for any loan offers, the VHPS 106 may provide a list of vehicles, available at the dealer, that would qualify for loan offers.

For each loan offer, various information about the particular loan offer may be presented to the consumer, including for example who is the lender, what the loan offer includes (for example, an annual percentage rate (APR) and a term/duration for the loan), any conditions which may need to be satisfied prior to the loan being approved or distributed, and an associated action the consumer may take now with respect to the loan offer. The associated action presented may depend on the type of loan offer—for example, the consumer may have the option to “Lock-in Rate” or “Apply Now!” If the consumer selects to move forward with the loan offer, the consumer may be directed to the lender's website or may be requested to provide additional information needed to proceed with applying for the loan offer.

At block 630 b, instead of, or in addition to block 630 a, the VHPS 106 provides the pre-qualification and/or pre-screening data of consumers interested in specific vehicles to a seller of the specific vehicle—such as for example the dealer. The dealer may then use this information to present additional vehicle options to the consumer. In some embodiments, the dealer may receive information only indicating that the consumer did or did not qualify for a loan offer. For example, if the dealer receives indication that the consumer does not qualify for a loan offer for a specific vehicle, the dealer may redirect the consumer to another vehicle with similar attributes for which the consumer may qualify. On the other hand, if the dealer sees that the consumer did qualify for the loan offer, the dealer may more aggressively try to close the sale of that vehicle to the consumer.

Alternatively, or additionally, the dealer may be provided with detailed information as to why the consumer did or did not qualify when the information relates to the vehicle, which the dealer may use try to sell a different vehicle to better suit the needs of both the dealer and the consumer. In some embodiments, in order to maintain confidentiality, the determination may not be provided to the dealer in any circumstances. In some embodiments, when additional vehicle options are presented to the consumer, they may be presented via the same user interface. The additional vehicle options may be determined based on the vehicle attributes selected by the consumer, as well as the financing amount for which the consumer is pre-screened and/or pre-qualified. The determination of additional vehicles satisfying the criteria may be completely automated.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a process 700 for providing a consumer with a vehicle's history report and also providing the pre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations. The process 700 includes steps of the process 600 which are identified by corresponding element numbers. To the extent that the activities in these corresponding blocks are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 6, they will not be repeated in detail here. The process 700 may be executed, for example, by the user interface modules 210 and/or the vehicle history reporting module 214 and/or the financing determination module 216 of the VHPS 106, and/or the user interface module 210 and/or the financing determination module 216 of the consumer terminal 104. In various embodiments, fewer blocks or additional blocks may be included in the process 700, or various blocks may be performed in an order different from that shown in FIG. 7.

Beginning at block 705, the consumer begins a vehicle search. In some embodiments, this vehicle search may begin on a dealer or a vehicle listing (e.g., portal) website. As part of the consumer's vehicle search, the consumer may identify a vehicle of interest and may request the vehicle history report for that vehicle. This request may be communicated to the dealer or portal website and communicated to the VHPS 106. The VHPS 106 receives the consumer request for the vehicle history report (similar to block 605 of process 600), and may present the consumer with the vehicle history report on the dealer or portal website at block 710 (similar to block 610 of process 600). While the vehicle history report is being viewed by the consumer, the consumer may be presented with an opportunity to prequalify for financing and provide consumer information needed for the prequalification process at block 715. At block 720, similar to block 620 of process 600, the consumer enters their consumer information and provides their consent for a prequalification decision.

Then, at block 725, a lender (or the VHPS 106 as described above) may use the consumer information to determine if the consumer qualifies for any financing options using specific lender criteria. At block 730, the process 700 may include a decisioning as a service (DaaS) platform to process the prequalification decision based on the various lender criteria. At block 735, the consumer is presented with the prequalification determination and options, similar to block 630 a of process 600. Once the consumer is presented with the options, at block 740, the consumer may have the opportunity to pursue one of the financing options for which the consumer is prequalified. If the consumer decides not to select a prequalification option (or fails to provide a response), the process 700 proceeds to block 745, where the consumer is redirected to another website and the consumer's data and prequalification determinations are cleared.

If the consumer decides to select a prequalification Option at block 740, the process proceeds to block 750, the process 700 may notify the lender that the consumer does want to pursue one of the financing offers and may redirect the consumer to the lender's website. Once the lender is notified of the consumer's interest, the process 700 proceeds to block 755, where the dealer is notified of the consumer's interest, as this may comprise a sales lead for the dealer. Then the process 700 proceeds to block 760, where the consumer is provided details of the prequalification via a web configuration and/or an e-mail. In some embodiments, the presentation of information to the consumer may be via an overlay or lightbox interface as described above.

Terminals and computing devices, which may comprise the software and/or hardware described above, may be an end user computing device that comprises one or more processors able to execute programmatic instructions. Examples of such computing devices are a desktop computer workstation, a smart phone such as an Apple iPhone or an Android phone, a computer laptop, a tablet PC such as an iPad, Kindle, or Android tablet, a video game console, or any other device of a similar nature. In some embodiments, the computing devices may comprise a touch screen that allows a user to communicate input to the device using their finger(s) or a stylus on a display screen.

The computing devices may also comprise one or more client program applications, such as a mobile “app” (e.g. iPhone or Android app) that may be used to visualize data, and initiate the sending and receiving of messages in the VHPS 106. This app may be distributed (e.g. downloaded) over the network to the computing devices directly from the VHPS 106 (e.g., the user interface module 210 or the storage device 208) or from various third parties such as an Apple iTunes or Google Play repository or “app store.” In some embodiments, the application may comprise a set of visual interfaces that may comprise templates to display vehicle history reporting and financing information. In some embodiments, as described above, visual user interfaces may be downloaded from another server or service, such as the VHPS 106. This may comprise downloading web page or other HTTP/HTTPS data from a web server and rendering it through the “app”. In some embodiments, no special “app” need be downloaded and the entire interface may be transmitted from a remote Internet server to computing device, such as transmission from a web server that is a part of the VHPS 106 to an iPad, and rendered within the iPad's browser.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software module may be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library, or may be written in an interpreted programming language such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computing devices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compact disc, digital video disc, flash drive, or any other tangible medium. Such software code may be stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executing computing device, such as the vehicle history reporting and financing system 100, for execution by the computing device. Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or may be comprised of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules that may be combined with other modules or divided into sub-modules despite their physical organization or storage.

In some embodiments, the system distinguishes between the initial transmission of loan application data required for user interfaces, and subsequent transmissions of user interface data so that it may transmit only portions that are necessary to update a vehicle history reporting and financing user interface. This may be done, for example, using an XMLHttpRequest (XHR) mechanism, a data push interface, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (“Ajax”), or other communication protocols.

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in the preceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automated by, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computer processors comprising computer hardware. The code modules may be stored on any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or computer storage device, such as hard drives, solid state memory, optical disc, and/or the like. The systems and modules may also be transmitted as generated data signals (for example, as part of a carrier wave or other analog or digital propagated signal) on a variety of computer-readable transmission mediums, including wireless-based and wired/cable-based mediums, and may take a variety of forms (for example, as part of a single or multiplexed analog signal, or as multiple discrete digital packets or frames). The processes and algorithms may be implemented partially or wholly in application-specific circuitry. The results of the disclosed processes and process steps may be stored, persistently or otherwise, in any type of non-transitory computer storage such as, for example, volatile or non-volatile storage.

The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and sub combinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

All of the methods and processes described above may be embodied in, and partially or fully automated via, software code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers. For example, the methods described herein may be performed by the vehicle history reporting and financing system 100, consumer terminal 104, and/or any other suitable computing device. The methods may be executed on the computing devices in response to execution of software instructions or other executable code read from a tangible computer readable medium. A tangible computer readable medium is a data storage device that can store data that is readable by a computer system. Examples of computer readable mediums include read-only memory, random-access memory, other volatile or non-volatile memory devices, CD-ROMs, magnetic tape, flash drives, and optical data storage devices.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. The scope of the invention should therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

Other embodiments relating to the systems and methods disclosed herein are detailed in the following documents, found in the Appendix of the present application, the entirety of which is bodily incorporated herein and the entirety of which is also incorporated herein by reference. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle history and prequalification system, comprising: a communication interface configured to: electronically communicate with a wired or wireless network, receive one or more financial criteria based at least in part on which a corresponding one or more financial institutions make a determination regarding a user's prequalification status via the network from the corresponding one or more financial institutions, and receive vehicle history information from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database via the network; a data store configured to store the one or more financial criteria; and a server comprising one or more processors programmed to execute instructions that cause at least one processor of the one or more processors to: provide a user interface for operation by the user at a remote computing device, receive a request, via the user interface, from the user requesting a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle, generate an overlay layer including a prompt to the user, via the user interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle while maintaining previous data, receive the indication of user interest in the prequalification, via the user interface, the indication including personal information of the user, retrieve data corresponding to the vehicle from the vehicle history information associated with at least one of the VIN, the license plate, or the other unique identifier of the vehicle, retrieve at least one financial criteria from the data store, and generate a prequalification determination for the user based at least on the received at least one financial criterion stored in the data store, the personal information of the user, or a price of the vehicle; wherein the prequalification server is further configured to: convey, via the user interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based at least on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle, and convey, via the user interface, the prequalification determination to the user.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to place the overlay layer including the prompt over the previous data making the previous data not viewable by the user while the prompt is visible.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the previous data is the generated vehicle history report that is conveyed to the user.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to generate the vehicle history report based on the retrieved data.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the retrieved data corresponding to the vehicle comprises the vehicle history report.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store is further configured to: store the received vehicle history information.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server is further configured to receive the prequalification determination from the one or more financial institutions.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to convey, via the communication interface, the prequalification determination to a dealer that is selling the vehicle.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to identify additional vehicles at the dealer to present to the user, the identification of the additional vehicles based on the retrieved data corresponding to the vehicle and the prequalification determination.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the prequalification determination indicates that the user is approved for the financing offer and where the server is further configured to: convey, the user interface, details of the financing offer to the user; prompt the user, via the user interface, for an indication of user interest in pursuing the financing offer for which the user is prequalified; receive, via the user interface, the indication of interest of the user in pursuing the financing offer; and convey, via the communication interface, the indication of the user interest in pursuing the financing offer to the corresponding financial institution.
 11. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving one or more financial criteria based at least in part on which a corresponding one or more financial institutions make a determination regarding a user's prequalification status via a communication interface from the corresponding one or more financial institutions over a network; storing the one or more financial criteria in a data store; receiving vehicle history information from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database via the communication network; providing a user interface for operation by the user at a remote computing device; receiving a request, via the user interface, from the user requesting a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle; generating an overlay layer including a prompt to the user, via the user interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle while maintaining previous data; receiving the indication of user interest in the prequalification, via the user interface, the indication including personal information of the user; retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle from the vehicle history information associated with at least one of the VIN, the license plate, or the other unique identifier of the vehicle; retrieving at least one financial criteria from the data store; generating a prequalification determination for the user based at least on the received at least one financial criterion stored in the data store, the personal information of the user, or a price of the vehicle; conveying, via the user interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based at least on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle; and conveying, via the user interface, the prequalification determination to the user.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating an overlay layer including a prompt to the user comprises overlaying the prompt on top of the previous data making the previous data not viewable by the user while the prompt is visible.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the previous data is the generated vehicle history report that is conveyed to the user.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating the vehicle history report based on the retrieved data.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the retrieved data corresponding to the vehicle comprises the vehicle history report.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: storing received vehicle history information.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving the prequalification determination from the one or more financial institutions.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising conveying, via the communication interface, the prequalification determination to a dealer that is selling the vehicle.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising identifying additional vehicles at the dealer to present to the user, the identification of the additional vehicles based on the retrieved data corresponding to the vehicle and the prequalification determination.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the prequalification determination indicates that the user is approved for the financing offer and further comprising: conveying, via the user interface, details of the financing offer to the user; prompting the user, via the user interface, for an indication of user interest in pursuing the financing offer for which the user is prequalified; receiving, via the user interface, the indication of interest of the user in pursuing the financing offer; and conveying, via the communication interface, the indication of the user interest in pursuing the financing offer to the corresponding financial institution.
 21. An apparatus for vehicle history and prequalification determination, comprising: means for electrically communicating with a wired or wireless network; means for receiving one or more financial criteria based at least in part on which a corresponding one or more financial institutions make a determination regarding a user's prequalification status via the means for electrically communicating from the corresponding one or more financial institutions; means for receiving vehicle history information from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database via the means for electrically communicating; means for providing user interface for operation by the user at a remote computing device; means for receiving a request from the user via the user interface requesting a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle; means for generating an overlay layer including a prompt to the user, via the user interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle while maintaining previous data; means for receiving the indication of user interest in the prequalification via the user interface, the indication including personal information of the user; means for retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle the vehicle history information associated with at least one of the VIN, the license plate, or the other unique identifier of the vehicle; means for retrieving at least one financial criteria from the data store; means for generating a prequalification determination for the user based at least on the received at least one financial criterion stored in the data store, the personal information of the user, or a price of the vehicle; means for conveying, via the user interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based at least on the retrieved data corresponding to the vehicle; and means for conveying, via the user interface, the prequalification determination to the user.
 22. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving one or more financial criteria based at least in part on which a corresponding one or more financial institutions make a determination regarding a user's prequalification status via a communication interface from the corresponding one or more financial institutions over a network; storing the one or more financial criteria in a data store; receiving vehicle history information from at least one of a third party information database, an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specification database via the communication network; providing a user interface for operation by the user at a remote computing device; receiving a request, via the user interface, from the user requesting a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle; generating an overlay layer including a prompt to the user, via the user interface, for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle while maintaining previous data; receiving the indication of user interest in the prequalification, via the user interface, the indication including personal information of the user; retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle from the vehicle history information associated with at least one of the VIN, the license plate, or the other unique identifier of the vehicle; retrieving at least one financial criteria from the data store; generating a prequalification determination for the user based at least on the received at least one financial criterion stored in the data store, the personal information of the user, or a price of the vehicle; conveying, via the user interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generated based at least on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle; and conveying, via the user interface, the prequalification determination to the user. 